Broad participation by UnitedHealthcare will increase competition and should help keep premiums down, according to theory and research. A recent paper by economists Leemore Dafny, Jonathan Gruber and Christopher Ody found that if UnitedHealthcare had sold policies through the exchanges this year in every state where it already does business, premiums would have been 5 percent lower.

• Our Awesome Hippie Pope says immigrant children should be “welcomed and protected” at America’s border. I’m sure this will be yet another Papal utterance American conservatives choose to ignore while they silently wish the Vatican would go back to talking about gays, abortion and birth control.

9 responses to “Good News Friday”

Look for United to have the highest deductibles and fight the hardest not to pay claims. I dealt with them about 8 years ago and after being told that they would cover 80% of the bill got an invoice from a care provider that said that they had covered about 30% of the amount due and that I owed over $1000 beyond what I had already paid. When I finally got someone at the phone at United they said, “Well, that person you talked to was wrong–tough shit.”. I wound up not paying the provider because I found out that they had not sent any bills in until after I’d had about 8 appointments at $300/session. I told the provider that I had been clear at the beginning of the process with both them and the insurer and that I had paid them in full, the agreed amount.

United has a reputation of being “difficult” and I’m happy that I’m not dealing with them or any other “for profit” concerns at this point.

It actually was just a three-judge panel’s decision, there hasn’t been a hearing before the full court yet. The DC Court is unlikely to hold up the opinion, especially considering the ruling’s partisan nature (2 Republican voted for, 1 Democrat voted against). People are telling me this will get vacated when it goes before the full court and that will be that.

In the meantime it highlights the importance of kicking the “let ’em die” contingent out of Red States legislatures like Tennessee’s. Election year fodder for Democrats. Looks like GOP is gonna get pwned.

The law is pretty clear on how the Democrats wrote it, so it would be a shame if partisan politics of the court overuled the correct interpretation of the 3 judge panel. Either way, the DC circuit court will not be the final say on this. It will eventually end up at the Supreme Court. I just think it is funny that the Dems didn’t read their bill before passing it and put something like this in it.

I am sure the Republicans will be happy to point out that Democrats passed a bill that does not allow for the tax credits they promised would be in it. Looks like another lie on their part. I don’t see any Republicans getting owned on this issue.

And what in my post makes you think I did not know it was only a 3 judge panel? If the full circuit refuses to review the ruling it stands as a ruling. The Obama Administration must appeal this decision to get it in front of the full court – that is not automatic you know.

Well as you know, this again was just a 3 judge panel of the 4th Circuit so I assume you don’t feel this is a valid ruling right? This issue will end up at the Supreme Court. They will have the final say on it.